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CRUELTY TO A CHILD.

WAS BERTHA BASHED OR BANGED? She Seeks Protection m a Salvarmy Home.

"Truth" has received informiaMon of the alleged ill-treatment of an orphan girl of thirteen years m the family of a Wellington resident, and feels bound to ventilate the matter, if only to induce the authorities to make a thorough investigation of the facts. It is always hard to obtain the exact details of a case of this description, but allowing for natural exaggeration, this paper is satisfied that advantage has been taken of an unfortunate child who lias no lawful protector to take her part. Very little sunshine has entered into the life of Bertha since the death, of her parents, and. she certainly suffered much misery m the home of one Wilson, an upholsterer, who lives at Kelburne. A household drudge of thirteen who had to look after young children and was given no remuneration save an unhappy home, it is alleged that she was periodically assaulted by Mrs Wilson. This paper received a highly-colored account of the state of the young girl when she ran away from the Wilson people, but owing to the oyster-like silence of the Salvation Army Home matron

'A gallant old cabman is Bill, His mates say a regular pill, When his prad proudly friskers Bill scratches his whiskers, And his language is just fit to kill.

oh the subject,, we are unable to learn the exact condition of the girl when she was admitted to the home. During her stay with Wlilson, it is alleged, Bertha didn't go to school, (md "Truth" desires to know if this is correct. If it is correct this newspaper wants to know WHY WILSON WASN'T PROSECUTED,. ' for deprivioig the girl of needful education? It would also like to know if there is any truth m the statement that the girl's body showed, marks of physical violence when she ran away. For she did run: away, which is m itself an indication that she had "been treated with cruelty. She want to the house of a' friend, and. that humane woman directed her to the Children's Home, at Newtown, which is one of Booth's extraordinary establishments. The account heard by "Truth" of the girl's condition was so circumstantial and horrifying that a representative of this paper i-esolved to interview the matron of the Home, with the object of finding out the exact state of the girl when she was admitted. But one might as well seek information from the Sphinx, or get water out of Karori rock during the late drought. The matron couldn't understand why the matter should be published at this late date, when the child had recovered and was now happy and contented. • Cl Truth V l representative -specified the injuries said to have been sustained by the Rirl, but all the matron would say was that somebody had been guilty of gross exaggeration. She charitably hazarded the opinion that the girl might have been actuated by a spirit of adventure when she ran away, but the imere faot of preferring the COl4> AND BITTER DISCIPLINE of the religious shelter to a dreadful life with the Wilsons is sufficient indication that love of adventure wasn't the mainspring of the youngster's desertion of the Kclburne house. "Why should you seek to publish matters of this description ?" asked the matron, and our. reporter was obliged to -enlighten 'her with regard to the methods of the daily press, which suppress material facts if it is found that their publication will give offence to some influential person. "Truth" doesn't know if the Wilsons are influential, hut it has j been informed that there is a piano and organ m the house, and the missus i&- taking lessons m ■ both instruments. It was pointed out to the matron that certain people might pose as philanthropists. '.and generous benefactors of orphan children whom they were sweating and ill-using, if a publication like "Truth" didn't exist. . They might even go to church and thank tlieir God that they were not as others, yet escape punis/hmfent because they had the pull on the 'daily press. Now, "Truth" camtot be bought— although a copy is obtainable for 3d at the street cornerhence its determination to direct the attention of the authorities to the present case. The matron benevolently .acknowledged that it took somie time to learn both sides of a question, and she attributed our knowledge of the alleged injuries to the spite of neighbors who had recently fallen out with the accused, persons and vented their spleen m the manner described. The interview was closed with reluctance on our part, after a remark that when people fall out "Truth" comes to the surface. The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Women and Children is requested to make inquiries into this case, and the police might with advantage overlook a burglary or two and look into the I matter also.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZTR19080307.2.28

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

NZ Truth, Issue 142, 7 March 1908, Page 5

Word count
Tapeke kupu
823

CRUELTY TO A CHILD. NZ Truth, Issue 142, 7 March 1908, Page 5

CRUELTY TO A CHILD. NZ Truth, Issue 142, 7 March 1908, Page 5

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